While discourse remains fervent around The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and the desired direction of the future of the series is a matter of debate, a look ahead to the future of 2D The Legend of Zelda is a sight to behold.
This is in part because of the impending release of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which is sure to be an excellent experience; however, it is also because of the recent news that it was co-developed by Grezzo. They are, of course, the team behind a litany of Zelda handheld remakes and ports, including Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora’s Mask 3D, Four Swords Anniversary Addition, and Link’s Awakening (2019). They were even involved in the co-development of Tri Force Heroes. Now, they are being trusted with co-development of a mainline game debuting on Nintendo’s premiere console, the Switch.
Grezzo cut their teeth co-developing an original title with Tri Force Heroes, but Echoes of Wisdom is their first chance to prove themself with a more traditionally oriented (and frankly, popular) outing. Nintendo looks to be trusting Grezzo with more and more responsibility with every passing project. It is not unreasonable to consider a future where Echoes of Wisdom is received remarkably well, and Grezzo is trusted with sole development of their own original The Legend of Zelda game. This would not be a new scenario, it harkens back to the days of the Capcom-developed Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, as well as the beloved Minish Cap. Perhaps Grezzo is destined to be the next Capcom.
Much of this will be determined by sales for Echoes of Wisdom, but I have very little fears in that department. 2019’s Link’s Awakening sold a fantastic 6.46 million copies; Nintendo Switch fans clearly have a taste for The Legend of Zelda in 2D. This is in addition to the fact that Echoes of Wisdom features a playable Princess Zelda, a much-wanted feature by fans, and the game is releasing in a time where there is much discourse around a desire for a The Legend of Zelda game with more traditional aspects such as key-based dungeons. Echoes of Wisdom seems primed to hit all of these niches at once, and it will hopefully reflect in sales.
If Echoes of Wisdom does prove to be a high seller, it will hopefully open the gates for another golden age of 2D Zelda. With the possibility of Grezzo being groomed to inherit the responsibility of 2D The Legend of Zelda, or even merely aid in more frequent development, perhaps fans won’t have to wait nine years between Echoes of Wisdom and the release of the next original 2D title.
Featured Image: Nintendo
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